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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371840">Chasing Waterfalls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stressball/pseuds/Stressball'>Stressball</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crack Relationships, Crack Treated Seriously, Homophobic Language, Idiots in Love, Jill is a good friend, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:41:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371840</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stressball/pseuds/Stressball</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Destiny’s Children welcomed all kinds of people. People who were rejected by the world, people who didn’t quite fit the mold, people who wanted somewhere to belong.</p><p>Axel was a different kind of person.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Axel/Keechie (Umbrella Academy)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chasing Waterfalls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I may or may not have started writing this as soon as I saw season 2....<br/>the fact that there is not more keechie/axel fic in this fandom is a crime<br/>be the fic you wanna see in the world</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Destiny’s Children welcomed all kinds of people. People who were rejected by the world, people who didn’t quite fit the mold, people who wanted somewhere to </span>
  <em>
    <span>belong</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel was a different kind of person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was far from the first wandering soul the Children had picked up on the road, and he probably wouldn’t be the last, but something about him drew Keechie in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was quiet, for one. He had been travelling with them for nearly two weeks, and Keechie had barely exchanged a dozen words with him. Axel understood english well enough, even though he was clearly not from the US. He had no problem cleaning, he could fix up the bus better than anyone else, and he was a surprisingly good cook. He was aloof, and often acted like their daily prayers and singing and feelings circles were beneath him, but he fit in the rest of the Destiny’s Children misfits like he was meant for it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their Prophet may have left them, but he had trusted Keechie to lead the Children in his stead. Keechie may not have been the smartest person, he definitely couldn’t hold his own in a fight, and he may let his emotions get the better of him sometimes, but he was determined to do this right. And he would start by making sure every member of Destiny’s Children felt included and wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Axel!” The blonde did not look up from sharpening his knife. “We’re gonna meditate in the park, do you want to join us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel did not respond in words, but rather a withering glare. Keechie had gotten used to his wordless stares, however, and he was only a little bit intimidated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” He said with a smile. “We’ll be easy to find if you change your mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Axel!” He tried again, a bite of stew in his mouth. “Thanks so much for making dinner, you’re a real life-saver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel did not respond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Axel, do you know any good songs?” The blond was sitting a few steps away from the group around the fire, whittling a piece of wood into some carving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stared at Keechie for several seconds, the sparks from the fire lighting up his eyes. He looked about two seconds away from taking Keechie’s ukulele, smashing it to bits, and throwing those bits into the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything but the Beatles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie did not know why Axel said ‘the Beatles’ with such seething, barely restrained rage in his voice, but he figured it was better to just leave it alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie’s attempts to befriend the strange Swede were going slowly. He began to wonder why it was so important to him. Axel may have stuck around longer than the average hitchhiker, but it was clear he would never be a devoted follower of the Prophet. He was the strange, quiet, distant member of their group, and he didn’t need to be any more than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-I just think that maybe, since the Prophet left me in charge, I feel obligated to all of the members of Destiny’s Children, and that includes Axel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill was a good listener. She was thoughtful, and was always ready to give out advice. Out of all of the Prophet’s followers, she was the one he trusted the most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure that your . . . obligation to Axel has anything to do with the Prophet at all?” She was looking at him like there was something he wasn’t getting, something that was supposed to be obvious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course it does!” He protested. “Why else would I care so much about this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why indeed,” She muttered, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. “Keechie, why is it so important that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Axel</span>
  </em>
  <span> is the one you’re focused on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” He bit his lip. “Axel’s been with us for some time, but he’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>with us</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you know? He doesn’t join in with us, not for praying, not for communing with music. Jill, we all joined Destiny’s Children because we were broken, because there was something in our life that we were missing. I know that Axel has a lot of pain in his past, but he isn’t dealing with it in the same way. I don’t . . . understand him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill put a hand on Keechie’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you really tried understanding him?” She asked. “Maybe instead of trying to get him to see things our way, you try to see things his way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was something to think about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See things his way,” He said. “I can try that. Thanks, Jill."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie found Axel by the campfire, sharpening a rather impressive-looking knife and glaring at anyone who came close. This was usual behavior for the man though, so Keechie wasn’t deterred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel seemed to favor silence, so Keechie didn’t say anything as he sat beside him, just stared at the sparks rising up from the fire. There were other groups around them, some people dancing, some people roasting marshmallows, and a few people making out in the shadows, but Keechie felt isolated from them, as if it were just him, and Axel, and the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>say something</span>
  </em>
  <span> ate at Keechie, urging him to fill the unbearable silence. He wasn’t a quiet person. In fact, before he met the Prophet and joined Destiny’s Children, he wasn’t well liked by his peers for the most part because he didn’t know when to stop talking. Every silent moment felt like it was filled with tension, like a bubble that just keeps getting bigger and bigger until finally it-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost didn’t notice when Axel started talking. He almost cheered. It was gruff and cold, but Axel had never </span>
  <em>
    <span>instigated</span>
  </em>
  <span> a conversation with him before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” He said, looking at Axel. The man’s blue eyes reflected the firelight, looking almost gold. “I’m just . . . looking at the fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel narrowed his eyes, and another few moments passed in complete silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with you?” He said finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not talking,” He said. “You are always talking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I’m sorry,” Keechie said, because that seemed like the right thing to say. “I just- you always seem annoyed when I talk to you, so I figured we could just sit quietly? Unless you want me to leave,” He added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel kept staring at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“. . . you can stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned back to his knife. The quiet </span>
  <em>
    <span>shkk</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>shkk</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of his blade on the whetstone was the only thing breaking up the silence between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“. . . I don’t mind if you talk,” He said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie tried and failed to keep the smile off his face. He wasted no time in launching into a long-winded and slightly embellished story about how he met the Prophet for the first time. Axel didn’t seem to care for it very much, but he didn’t ask him to stop, so Keechie took that as a resounding success.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, talking with Axel was a lot easier. It wasn’t like talking with Jill, where she would nod along and offer advice and start an argument when he said something she didn’t agree with, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> listen. He still didn’t talk much, but that didn’t bother Keechie anymore. He felt that the two of them had reached an understanding. They made a strange pair, but Keechie could reliably say that they were friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naturally, his good mood could not last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stevie was a new addition. He had run into Destiny’s Children while they were in California, hanging around when they were playing music in the park, talking to a few of them when there was no one around to see them. Keechie thought that would be the last of him, but just as they were getting ready to leave, he showed up with a fresh bruise on his face and a packed duffle bag. They accepted him with no questions asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The problem wasn't Stevie himself. The boy was quiet, but polite, and he quickly found a place with the group of outcasts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The problem was that Stevie came back from getting groceries one day with a split lip and a black eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They jumped me," he said as Jill pressed a bag of frozen vegetables to his face. "Said they weren't gonna tolerate no queers in their town."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie sighed. He had been dealing with this kind of thing since he first joined the movement. Before that, actually. Throughout his life Keechie had been called every name you could think of, and he had been beat up more than a few times. Still, he wished they could do more about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright guys," he called to the gathered group. There were less of them now, a few dozen left out of hundreds. "From now on, let's try to go out in groups, okay? Safety in numbers."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He clapped his hands together and smiled encouragingly as they dispersed. From the edge of the group, he could see Axel raise an eyebrow at him. The man probably knew that Keechie was faking his control of the situation. Still, he knew Axel didn’t care if Keechie was a flawed person who didn’t know what to do all the time. That was one of the things he liked about Axel. He didn’t have to be strong for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found Axel after dinner, digging around the bus’s engine. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing unfairly muscular forearms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s it looking?” He asked, leaning over the side. Whatever was wrong with the engine this time, it was not apparent to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need parts,” Axel said. Keechie sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not good,” He said. “I was hoping we could be out of town by morning. After what happened to Stevie, I don’t think we’re exactly welcome here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel’s eyes flicked over to where Stevie and Jill were, talking quietly on the side of the road. For whatever reason, Axel seemed to have taken the attack rather personally. He was subtle, but Keechie noticed that he hadn't let Stevie out of his sight since he came back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get the parts,” Keechie said, mentally running the numbers on their current funds. “We’ll just have to see what we can do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie looked at the sky, getting darker with every second. He could wait until morning, but he wanted the bus up and running as soon as possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will come with you.” Axel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You will?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel stood next to him, arms folded and feet planted firmly on the ground. Keechie knew that there would be no arguing with him. Besides, he did say they shouldn’t go out alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked in silence for the most part, the threat of violence a tangible presence around them. They just had to get the parts they needed and get the hell out of dodge. Exchange one intolerant town for another. That was life for Destiny’s Children.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not fair,” Keechie said quietly as they approached the shop. “I mean, most things in my life aren’t, and I’m okay with that, I just--Stevie doesn’t deserve this. None of us do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel gave him a momentary glance in response, which Keechie took to mean that he was seriously considering his words. He was glad for that. Axel seemed like the kind of man that didn’t think he deserved anything. Even the kindness of Destiny’s Children seemed to baffle him sometimes. Which was strange. Axel seemed aloof and detached, but Keechie knew he cared about the group, in his own way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two were able to acquire the necessary parts without problem and began to head back. Against his better judgement, Keechie was optimistic. Just maybe they would be able to get out of town without further incident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As usual, he had thought too soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group of thugs that approached them looked exactly like every other group of thugs Keechie had been beaten up by in his life. Tough, meaty, and judging by the smell of their breath, drunk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, look,” one of them said to his fellows. “It’s some of those hippie bastards. Thought we told y’all to get out of town.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie swallowed, and put on a fake smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we were just leaving, actually, so if you could-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care!” The leader spat on the ground. “Clearly y’all can’t take a hint. We don’t want you here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few of the men around him chuckled, and he puffed his chest out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” Keechie tried again. “We were just-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was interrupted as the man took a swing at him. Keechie closed his eyes, ready to take the blow that never came. Instead he heard a smack, and a grunt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie opened his eyes. Axel stood in front of him, shopping bags still in one hand. The man was on the ground with blood gushing from his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Son of a bitch,” he said, staggering to his feet. “You think you can just-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel stepped forward and kneed him in the balls. As the man curled inward he gave him a quick uppercut, and he fell back to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly not so cocky, the other thugs made a swift retreat, leaving their leader unconscious on the sidewalk. Axel looked at him, then back at Keechie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should go,” Keechie said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel nodded, and that was that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they returned to the bus, Keechie found himself at a loss for words. This was a new experience for him, and he contemplated that as he watched Axel work on the bus, Stevie shining a flashlight on the engine. It did not surprise him that Axel knew how to fight. He certainly had the muscles for it, and the way he stood and moved often reminded Keechie of a soldier. Seeing him in action, however, was an entirely different thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept his silence even when Axel finished the repairs, and he started the engine with a healthy rumble. The rest of the group was safely on the bus, sleeping or close to it, and he took the wheel without a word. Before he took them onto the road, he looked at Axel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said. “You know, for saving me back there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel stared at him for a few moments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” He handed Keechie a small pocket knife. “Next time maybe you can save yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the second time that day, Keechie was rendered totally speechless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-And then he punched the guy in the face--completely knocked him out cold!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the next day, Keechie had regained his speaking ability.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was sunny, and Destiny’s Children had stopped for lunch and meditation on the side of the road. Keechie sat by Jill, giving her the story of the previous night’s events.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds pretty amazing,” she said, munching on a PB&amp;J. “I knew the guy had some moves in him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel like he’s finally a part of the group,” Keechie said. “He’s still strange but he’s one of us, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” Jill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He really does care, even if he doesn’t seem to. He looks out for Stevie, and he found Winnie’s necklace when she was so worried about losing it the other day, and he’s always helping out with the group-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” Jill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And even if he doesn’t talk much, I always feel like I can confide in him, he’s a great listener-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” Jill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really, I’m glad that we’re friends-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keechie?” Jill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you considered that you might want to be more than friends with Axel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” He said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keechie,” she said. “You are clearly in love with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah.” Keechie nodded his head. “Yeah, that makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill looked at him for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m in love with Axel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>in love</span>
  </em>
  <span> with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Axel</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie stopped for a moment, slowly processing the idea. Jill waited patiently for him to come around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jill,” he said finally. “I can’t be in love with Axel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see,” she said. “Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill looked heavenward, as if she would find answers there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keechie,” she said. “We are not teenagers. This is not high school. Just tell him how you feel and if he doesn’t reciprocate then it’s no big deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is a big deal!” Keechie stood up and began to pace. “What if this affects our friendship? I worked hard for this friendship! Or worse! What if he’s offended? What if he doesn’t even want anything to do with me? What if he gets off the bus at the next town and I never see him again?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill continued to eat her sandwich.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re overreacting,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie took a deep breath and tried to center himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said. “You’re right. I just need to calm down, and tell him how I feel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill clapped her hands together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” she said. “You did it! You figured it out! Now you can stop telling me about him every five minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do not-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie stopped, and re-evaluated his last few conversations with Jill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really got it bad, don’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said again. “Now I just have to tell him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was waiting for--as he told Jill--the ‘right moment’, which seemed to never come. He knew Axel was a private person, so he had to wait until they were alone--which they rarely were. Keechie loved the community of Destiny’s Children, and the constant presence of other people, but now they were getting in his way. They would be eating lunch together, but then Stevie would come up and ask Axel for self-defense pointers. They would be sitting at the front of the bus together, and then Mandy would come up and ask him to take care of some problem in the back. As the days went on, he began to get frustrated. It became clear to him that the right moment was not going to fall into his lap; he would have to make it himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jill was all too happy to distract Destiny’s Children for him. She led them off to meditate in the park, while Keechie stayed behind with Axel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bus felt different when it was empty. There was no singing, no snoring, no stamping feet and no quiet (or not so quiet) chatter. It felt unsettling to Keechie, but he could see why Axel would enjoy the rare peace and quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found him sitting at the top of the bus, looking out over the road. His eyes flicked to Keechie when he climbed up, but he didn’t give any other greeting than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s beautiful,” Keechie said, referring to the view from the bus. “Most people wouldn’t think so, with the asphalt trampling over the land’s natural beauty, but I look out there and all I see is the open road, waiting to be explored.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Predictably, Axel said nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Keechie said, switching gears. “I saw the Prophet about a week or so before he left. We met in jail, if you could believe it. Yeah,” he smiled a bit at the memory. “Those cops in Texas towns don’t really care for vagrants like us. But I asked the Prophet for some wisdom, and you know what he told me? ‘Don’t go chasing waterfalls. Stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie quieted for a moment, remembering that week before the Prophet left and they picked up Axel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s quite right though,” he said finally. “I’d never say this to the rest of the group, but I don’t think the Prophet is as infallible as we make him out to be. He can do great things, sure, but at the end of the day he’s just . . . a man. Just like you or me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not afraid of making a mistake,” he said. “Or chasing after something I’m not ready for. I’ve made so many mistakes in my life, and they all led me here. I could have stayed an accountant. I could have married a nice girl, had a family, and worked for the weekend for the rest of my life. I didn’t though. I chose to leave everything behind and chase after a feeling I couldn’t even name. And because I did that, I’ve done so many wonderful things, met so many wonderful people. The Prophet, Jill, you. I never thought I could have a life like this. I never thought I could ever be as happy as I am now. But I am, because I went chasing after waterfalls. Which is why I’m saying this to you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie looked Axel in the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am attracted to you. I am seriously attracted to you in every physical, emotional, and spiritual way. And it’s okay if you aren’t, or if I’ve messed up and made everything awkward, because I would rather have said it than kept it to myself forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having said his piece, Keechie shut up and waited for Axel to say something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Axel stared at him for a long time. Long enough for Keechie to seriously regret sharing his feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Axel kissed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was fierce, passionate, and everything Keechie had ever wanted in his life. He eagerly reciprocated, and the two of them clung to each other, until Axel pulled away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not a good person,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” Keechie said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve done things,” Axel said. “Things that would make you run far, far away from me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie reached up and turned Axel’s face towards him, looking him in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, the two could only stare at each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Axel looked back at the road.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They won’t be back for a few hours, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ja</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keechie was no stranger to intimacy. He had slept with half of Destiny’s Children at one point or another, and he had no problem sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings to anyone willing to listen. This . . . this was a different intimacy. Axel holding him in his arms felt like something sacred. For a moment, he savored the feeling, knowing that any second they would have to get up, clean themselves up, and move on with their lives. Destiny’s Children would file in, and Jill would no doubt immediately figure out what they did. They would get back on the road, driving towards no particular destination. Everything would be the same, but everything would be different.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well. Whatever happened next, Keechie was ready to face it. And hey, maybe Axel would want to face it with him. Either way, he was up for the challenge, and he wouldn’t change anything for the world.</span>
</p>
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